Pathogenic bacteria have evolved a diversity of interplayed approaches and mechanisms to invade and colonize host cells, leading to infections of varying severity. To successfully establish an infection, bacteria must navigate multiple barriers, starting with attachment to host cells, evading the immune response, acquiring essential nutrients, and disseminating within host tissues. These tasks are accomplished through the expression of a huge number of bacterial metabolites regulated by specialized systems, each contributing to different stages of the infection process. This chapter explores bacterial metabolism, focusing on the virulent metabolites that bacteria utilize to establish infections, providing insights into potential targets for developing novel antibacterial therapeutics and strategies.